Former New Orleans Saints running back Devin Neal was released by the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday. The Vikings announced four roster transactions early in the day, including the release of Neal from their practice squad. New Orleans hosts Minnesota this Sunday in a Week 5 matchup. Neal had only been with the Vikings since Sept. 29 and had not been active for a game.
Devin Neal was a sixth-round pick by the Saints in the 2025 NFL Draft. He played collegiately with the Kansas Jayhawks, where he had 4,343 rushing yards and 53 touchdowns in four seasons. He had over 1,000 rushing yards in three straight seasons, including over 1,250 in 2023 and 2024 with 16 touchdowns each year. As a rookie with the Saints, Neal had 206 rushing yards while averaging
3.6 per carry with 2 scores and caught 17 passes for 104 yards. He appeared in ten games with three starts, playing 268 offensive snaps before missing the final three contests with an ankle injury.
Neal was expected to be in the New Orleans backfield mix in 2026. However, he'd suffer consecutive hamstring injuries and was placed on injured reserve by the Saints on August 31. Three days later, Neal was released by New Orleans with an injury settlement.
As the Saints prepare to face the Vikings, New Orleans ranks a lowly 27th in rushing production. Lead running back Travis Etienne Jr. is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. However, re-signing Devin Neal is not a current option for New Orleans. Due to terms of the injury settlement at release, the Saints would not be eligible to re-sign Devin Neal until after Week 8.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Former Saints running back Devin Neal released by Vikings
